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A gust of fresh air, the sound of street traffic, a bike bell ringing, a child crying… shouts from across the park; birds, an airplane on its way to LaGuardia, rolling, billowing, cumulus clouds…
From Dan: r you on ur way?
yeah couple blocks
cool I’m waiting to let you in…
So passive-aggressive.
Akari started walking north, away from the park; she should have just turned her phone off and taken a nap in the grass. Dan wasn’t doing anything, probably just sitting at home in his pajamas. He was probably excited, actually, by the prospect of being alone with her; he was the kind of person who was never engaged unless there was at least a little bit of erotic energy in the room. But then again: she was the exact same way.
She was on Manhattan Avenue now.
Still no text from Suzanne. She did this: ran hot and cold. They both did. Which was addicting. You could never really stop checking your phone because there might be something exciting or dramatic that you didn’t expect; or you might be the one to send that dramatic/exciting/surprising message. You couldn’t even predict your own behavior.
It was like the phone in charge of the communication.
It dominated everything she did, it never left her, she could never turn it off; love, work, friendship were all funnelled through the screen. It was frustrating but also unavoidable; literally, she couldn’t imagine living without it. She also…
